I'm a writer, mostly of speculative fiction, living in rural Tasmania. I've got a rural GP wife and three small kids, and I keep a running commentary of life here so that when my kids are old enough to give a shit, they can read up and discover who their parents used to be.
I tried doing this on paper, but I sucked at it. So I tried doing it online with an audience. It worked.
May contain adult language and concepts. Deal with it.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

*I put a reminder notice about the ju-jitsu classes in the primary school newsletter. Result: we're going to be training newbies for a while. That's okay. It does all the kids good to get back to basics.

* I'm setting up to do a Masters in Arts in second semester. Laying the groundwork now.

* Small, secret project which involves another participant, so I can't talk about it.

* Developing a webcomic for Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine

* Chopping 100,000k of novel into shape for ROR in August. Must move quicker on that one.

* New project, wildly fun: I've been contacted by an old friend and asked to develop a libretto for a new opera. It's avant garde as all hell, and likely there's no money in it -- but fuck it, how often do you get the chance to write for opera? Besides, the storyline has already fallen into place and I'm fascinated by the possibilities.

* friend with anaphylaxis (ant sting induced) is home again, but she'll be carrying an Epipen full of adrenaline from now until they load her into a coffin. Simple as that.

* another friend, recently struck down (in a savage way) with a mysterious brain disorder has been positively diagonosed with Herpes Simplex Encephalitis. And anybody who thinks that herpes is a joke needs to consider this: without treatment, the mortality rate is about 50-60%. And 75% of the survivors carry lifetime neurological impairments. Fortunately, with an early course of acyclovir and the right steroid, most people survive it these days, and the prognosis is good. My friend is recovering. He even recognised me yesterday at the hospital, which is a really good sign.

* reviews -- I'm falling behind. Got to finish the discussion of Dune the book vs Dune the movie vs Dune the TV miniseries. Also, must read original Akira manga to compare with movie. And watch doco on the famous photo of Che Guevara... damn you Bruce for all your interesting media and ideas!

* window of gardening weather can't last much longer. It's not hot and dry any more. Today is actually overcast, and gently rainy: perfect for all the plants I've put in. But I need to get outside and plant all the bulbs. I want to surprise Natalie with a big spiral of daffodils in the yard come springtime.